Encapsulated lysozyme to replace antibiotics

The study used EnWave's Radiant Energy Vacuum (REV) dehydration technology to dry encapsulated lysozyme, a natural anti-microbial enzyme, to determine whether it can be used as a replacement for antibiotics in chicken feed. The trials showed that the dried, encapsulated enzyme permitted the same level of infection resistance as is normally obtained with pharmaceutical antibiotics.

Countries around the world have been looking for ways to eliminate the routine usage of antibiotics in animal feed in order to reduce the perceived risk of anti-microbial resistance in human and animal populations.

Encapsulation

Encapsulation is a common technique by which a sensitive material is coated or embedded in a stabilizing material in order to provide protection from harsh processing or storage conditions, as is the case with pelletized chicken feed.

Researchers first encapsulated samples of Bioseutica's Entegard™ by suspending the enzyme formulation in a stabilizing hydrocolloid gel, and then dehydrated the mixture in a modified version of EnWave's nutraREV® food dehydration technology.

The resulting powder was then incorporated into chicken feed and fed to chickens to test their response to clostridial necrotic enteritis, a common poultry disease.

The encapsulated Entegard™ medication gave protection equal to the antibiotic medication that is the common industry solution to this problem in North America.